Tim Banks is the CEO of APM, a Canada wide construction and property development company, with its head office in Charlottetown, PEI. My family has lived on PEI for over eight generations and I was born at the Prince County Hospital in Summerside, PEI. I am hoping someone will soon develop a blood test to authenticate when you actually become an "Islander" as I am still having problems explaining where I'm from?

Saturday, July 4, 2009

I was by the Tweel Building yesterday as they were removing the "hoarding" that was protecting the public from the construction activity... I was very impressed and a big congratulations must go out to Chris Tweel for a job well done... I understand the major ground floor tenant is a corporate "Starbucks" and they have already hired some local staff... there has been a bit of controversy regarding the removing of the trees in front of the building but it might not necessarily be coming from the developer... we had a National tenant looking at our ground floor space at 133 Queen Street and one of their conditions was they wanted the tree that blocked the signage removed but our request to the City was turned down and the space remains empty... I wonder if they would let us remove it now since they let the Tweels'.... it's great to see this building being revitalized and hopefully the developer will find some other tenants for some of their other vacant properties soon... Kudos to Chris Tweel for a job well done...Historic downtown corner undergoes renovationDOUG GALLANTThe GuardianDowntown Charlottetown has seen more construction in the past 24 months than in the previous several years but few projects have generated more interest or more speculation than the redevelopment of the building at the corner of Kent Street and University Avenue. Speculation has been rampant about who will lease space in this building, which once housed Tweel’s Gift Shop. This first of two articles will look at the past and the present for this location. Next week developer Chris Tweel will speak to the future of the building and who his new tenants will be. The buildings which eventually came to be known as the Tweel Block once housed the offices of The Guardian newspaper. That changed in 1923 when the building was razed to the ground by fire.Four years later in 1927, businessman Nemir Tweel expanded the property to accommodate several businesses including a barbershop where he himself cut hair for many years.It was also home to The Dominion Cafe, The Metropolitan, Singer Sewing Machine, Hambly & Innis men’s wear store and several dentists and doctors. There were also several apartments on the third floor. Tweel family spokesman Chris Tweel said the family has wanted to renovate the building for several years but as long as Clark Innis was operating Hambly & Innis, they were not prepared to displace him after a relationship that spanned five decades. “When Mr. Innis retired this past spring construction began almost immediately,” said Tweel. The Tweel family has received tremendous support and encouragement from the community including Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee and members of city council and provincial Liberal MLA Richard Brown. “The response from the overall community has been tremendous,” Tweel said. “Many people have approached us with their personal recollections of the building and its place in the community. They were happy that Tweel’s corner will once again take its place as a landmark gathering place in the city.” The building has essentially been rebuilt from the inside out. The façade of the building has been kept essentially as it was though extensive restoration work was done to make the brickwork look as if it was brand new.Inside the building it’s a very different story. The interior was completely redesigned and upgraded with new steel columns and beams to allow for more open and flexible retail space. All windows and doors and all mechanical and electrical systems were replaced. During the renovation process, much of the building has been shielded from public view by plywood and scaffolding. That came down this week, giving people their first view of the newly renovated building, sparking speculation about who the new tenants will be.

1 comment:

I had been hearing this for a while now as well and really looking forward to Starbucks coming. I just went to the Starbucks site to see where new stores were opening and when I pt in for Charlottetown it said there were no "new stores" and no stores "coming soon". I hope that there website is simply not updated.